Ice confectionery articles coated with particulate material flakes

ABSTRACT

A confectionery article is coated by a fatty material, and cereal flakes are positioned on and adhere to the fatty material coating, and additionally, the cereal flakes may be coated also with a fatty material coating. The article is prepared by applying a fatty material to a plurality of surfaces of the ice confectionery article, cooling the fatty-coated article to cool and solidify the fatty layer and keep the fatty-coated article cold during solidification of the fatty layer, and during cooling and prior to the fatty layer solidifying at its surface, so that the fatty layer surface is tacky, applying cereal flakes on the tacky fatty-coated surface to obtain a cooled article wherein the particulate flakes adhere to the fatty layer and separating particulate material which has not adhered to the fatty layer to obtain a cooled coated confectionery article product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of application Ser. No.08/243,816 which was filed May 17, 1994 and which is now U.S. Pat. No.5,798,131.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to production of articles of ice confectionerycoated with a dry particulate material, more particularly in the form offlakes.

Articles of ice confectionery coated with solid articulate materials aregenerally made by machines comprising a conveyor belt for the individualice portions, a feed hopper above the conveyor belt delivering a curtainof particulate material through which the portions pass and an elementfor recycling the particulate materials. The recycling element may be abucket elevator or a trough-equipped drum through which the conveyorbelt passes, as described for example in French Pat. No. 2 419 028 orU.S. Pat. No. 4,762,083. The use of moving parts to recycle theparticles is not compatible with the coating of brittle particles of acertain size such as, for example, cereal flakes which have to be ableto remain intact.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem addressed by the present invention was to coat an iceportion with a dry and brittle particulate material, more particularlycereal flakes, in such a way that the portion would be completelycovered with particulate material over its upper surface and its sidesand in such a way that the particulate material would retain its shapeand its crispiness both in storage and on consumption.

The process according to the invention is characterized in that thefrozen ice portion is precoated at least over its upper surface and itssides with a liquid fatty layer, in that the still soft fatty surface isuniformly covered with particulate material by surrounding the iceportion with a bed of solid particulate material, in that the articlesto which the solid particulate material has adhered are separated fromthe free solid particulate material and in that the substantially intactparticulate material is recycled so that it may be reused.

The present invention further includes a confectionery article producedby the process and also includes a machine for carrying out the processof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this disclosure, the expression “substantially intact”, as applied tothe particulate material, means that most of the particulate materialhas remained intact and that any fines are eliminated, for example bymeans of a sieve, before the particulate material is reused. Anembodiment of the process of the invention, therefor, is characterizedin that before the particulate material is recycled, it is freed fromany fines present by sieving. The operation by which the fines areseparated is preferred because their presence on the surface of thefatty layer could prevent the particles from adhering which would resultin an uneven coating.

One embodiment of the process according to the invention ischaracterized in that the application of the particulate material on thefatty-coated article is accompanied by cooling the fatty-coated articleand wherein during the cooling, the particulate material is appliedprior to the solidification of the fatty coating at its surface so thatthe surface is tacky so that the particulate material adheres to thefatty coating surface.

In one preferred embodiment, the portions and the particulate materialare coated with a liquid fatty layer so as to cover the upper surface,the sides and the butt of the articles.

Thus, the particulate material is completely surrounded by a coatingwhich acts as a moisture barrier both with respect to the ice cream andwith respect to the surrounding environment.

The machine according to the invention is characterized in that itcomprises:

a unit for precoating the upper surface and sides of the ices portionswith a liquid fatty composition, a particle application unit comprisingmeans for forming a bed of particles surrounding the upper surface andthe sides of the ice portions coated with fatty composition and meansfor separating and recirculating excess particles.

In one preferred embodiment, the machine according to the inventionadditionally comprises a final coating unit for coating the ice portionswith a liquid fatty composition.

The invention is illustrated by the following detailed description ofone particular embodiment of the machine according to the invention andits mode of operation given by way of example in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates the machine.

FIG. 2 illustrates the particle application unit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective cross-sectional view of an article of iceconfectionery obtained by one particular embodiment of the processaccording to the invention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The machine according to the invention, as illustrated in the drawingfigures is an integral part of an installation comprising—upstream ofthe machine—a horizontally circulating conveyor belt onto which isextruded a continuous strand of ice confectionery which is frozen, forexample in a freezing tunnel, and then cut into portions. The portionsare then taken up by a conveyor belt circulating at a higher speed thanthe first conveyor belt so that the portions are spaced. The temperatureof the portions is preferably −35° C. or lower. These operations arecarried out conventionally and have not been illustrated.

Referring to FIG. 1, the precoating unit 1 comprises a feed hopper 2 forliquid composition 3, for example a chocolate-flavoured coating,thermostatically controlled to around 38° C. by means of a heatingfluid, for example water circulating through a double wall of thehopper. On leaving the hopper, the liquid 3 passes by gravity through anadjustable slot 4 positioned radially in relation to the direction oftravel fl of the portions 5. As it leaves the slot, the liquidcomposition is distributed into a curtain of chocolate-flavouredcoating. The portions 5 are taken up by the lattice belt 6 and passedbeneath the liquid curtain of chocolate-flavoured coating dischargedthrough the slot-like nozzle where they are precoated on their uppersurface and their sides. The lattice belt 6 is kept under tension by thetension rollers 7 and cleaned by the licking shaft 8 which preferablyrotates in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the belt6 and which is arranged on its return level. A trough 9 collects theliquid coating which may be recycled to the hopper 2, for example bymeans of a pump (not shown). On leaving the precoating unit, theportions are transferred to the particle application unit.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the particle application unit 10 comprises asolid conveyor belt 11 which is designed to circulate horizontally fromleft to right and which takes up the precoated portions. The belt 11 isdelimited by two vertical guides 12 on either side so that the belt andthe guides form a U-shaped channel. Arranged below and in contact withthe upper level of the belt 11 is a refrigeration table 13thermostatically controlled by a fluid, for example glycol-containingwater, to a temperature of approximately −20° C. or lower. The functionof the table 13 is to solidify the small amount of liquid coating whichdrops onto the belt and to keep the portions 5 cold. Above the belt 11,the unit 10 comprises a solid conveyor belt 14 which is designed tocirculate horizontally from right to left and which is provided withvertical guides 15 forming a U-shaped channel with the belt 14. The belt14 could be replaced by a vibrating chute. A hopper 16 is arrangedbetween the belts 11 and 14. The hopper 16 comprises a flap 17 and asmooth roller 18 of which the functions will be explained in detailhereinafter.

The unit 10 also comprises an elevator consisting of a vibrating screw19. The unit 10 further comprises a table 20 formed by self-cleaningrotating rollers on which the leading edge is spaced from the trailingedge of the belt 11, for example by a distance of 2 to 4 cm, whichdefines a dropping space 21. Below the space 21 and the table 20, aperforated plate 22 acting as a sieve collects the particulate materialwhich is directed towards the vibrating screw 19. At the end of itsreturn level, the belt 11 is scraped by means of blades 23. At anintermediate level, the vibrating screw is fed with new particulatematerial by the hopper 24. A blower 25 is arranged above the space 21.

In operation, particulate material 26 is discharged from the hopper 16onto and around the portions 5 transported by the belt 11. The portions5 are thus immersed in a bed of particulate material while their uppersurfaces and sides are precoated with chocolate-flavoured coating whichis still tacky, i.e. has not yet solidified at its surface. The amountof particulate material discharged determines the thickness of the bedon the belt 11, the desired thickness being of the order of 4 cm. Therate of discharge is regulated by the more or less large opening of theflap 17 and the speed of rotation of the smooth roller 18 which rotatesin the direction of the arrow f2, i.e, in the direction of the rotatingaxes of the belt 11. On leaving the belt 11, the particulate materialwhich has not adhered to the portions drops into the space 21 andthrough the openings in the lattice belt 20 driven by the blower 25. Thefines 27, if any, formed by the breakage of the particles pass throughthe perforated plate 22 acting as a sieve and are removed in the plate28. The particulate material intended to be recycled is elevated by thevibrating screw 19 to the level of the belt 14. The remains scraped offby the blades 23 are removed in the plate 29. To compensate forconsumption and losses, new particulate material is discharged from thehopper 24 into the vibrating screw 19. At the top of the vibratingscrew, the particulate material is discharged through the hopper 30 ontothe belt 14 and then transported towards the hopper 16.

On leaving the application unit 10, the portions 5 are completely coatedover their upper surfaces and their sides with substantially intactparticulate material.

The particulate material may be selected from the dry and brittleingredients typically used as additions in confectionery and inchocolate making, such as pieces of cooked sugar, nougatine, dried orpreserved fruits and expanded or extruded cereals, more particularlyflakes, for example of rice.

The process and machine according to the invention are advantageous inthe case of additions consisting of relatively brittle flat particles ofa certain size or any other particulate material of correspondingdimensions and brittleness.

A particularly preferred particulate material consists, for example, offlakes of rice in the form of cooked and toasted petals 2 to 8 mm insize which are brittle and absorb moisture. This material is susceptibleto loss of crispiness through hygroscopy, a quality which is consideredto be crucial from the organoleptic point of view. It is for this reasonthat, in one preferred embodiment of the process and machine accordingto the invention, the portions are completely coated with a fattycomposition acting as a moisture barrier.

In this embodiment, the portions issuing from the application unit 10are transferred to the coating unit 31 (FIG. 1) for applying liquidfatty composition, for example chocolate-flavoured coating, on thelattice belt 32. The belt 32 is driven and kept under tension by tensionrollers 33 and cleaned along its return level by the licking shaft 34.The coating composition 35, for example a chocolate-flavoured coating atapproximately 35° C., is applied in the form of a curtain from thethermostatically controlled hopper 36 to the upper surface and the sidesof the portions in the same way as for the precoating unit 1, thecoating is spread and excess coating is removed by means of the blower37. The unit 31 also comprises scraped rollers 38 both rotating in thesame direction of which the function is to form and maintain a wave ofchocolate-flavoured coating which enables a butt of coating to beapplied.

On leaving the unit 31, the coated portions are conducted towards acooling station and packing station, for example of the “flow-pack” type(not shown).

In the interests of simplicity, the production of articles in the shapeof bars arranged in a line has been schematically illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. However, the process and machine according to theinvention may of course also be used in the same way for treatingindividual articles differing in shape, such as “bite-size” articles forexample. The portions may be arranged in rows in several lines.

The machine according to the invention is of course controlled by aprogrammable automatic control unit which drives the various conveyorbelts in synchronism with one another, with the elements fordistributing the coating materials and with the upstream extrusion,cooling and cutting stations and the downstream cooling and wrappingstations.

The article capable of being produced by the process and the machineaccording to the invention, which is illustrated in FIG. 3, comprises aco-extruded core of ice cream flavoured with vanilla 39 and caramel 40coated with toasted flakes of rice 41 between two layers of milkchocolate 42 and 43 on its upper surface and its sides and a butt ofmilk chocolate flavoured coating 44.

We claims:
 1. A confectionery product of a process comprising applying aliquid fatty material to a plurality of surfaces of a frozenconfectionery article to obtain article surfaces coated with a layer ofthe liquid fatty material, cooling the fatty-coated article to cool andsolidify the fatty layer and keep the fatty-coated article cold duringsolidification of the fatty layer, and during cooling and prior to thefatty layer solidifying at its surface, so that the fatty layer surfaceis tacky, applying solid particulate flakes, wherein the flakes consistessentially of cereal ingredients and wherein the flakes are dry andsusceptible to absorbing moisture, on the tacky fatty-coated surface toobtain a cooled article wherein the particulate flakes adhere to thefatty layer and separating particulate material which has not adhered tothe fatty layer to obtain a cooled coated confectionery article productseparated from the non-adhering particulate material.
 2. A product of aprocess wherein the process comprises the process of claim 1 and furthercomprises applying a liquid fatty material on the cooled coatedconfectionery product article to coat the flakes which adhere to thefatty layer to obtain a cooled multi-layer-coated confectionery articleproduct.
 3. A product according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the flakescomprise rice.
 4. A product according to claim 3 wherein the flakes aretoasted flakes.
 5. A product according to claim 1 or 2 wherein thefrozen confectionery article is an ice cream and the fatty material is achocolate-flavored material.
 6. A product according to claim 3 whereinthe frozen confectionery article is an ice cream and the fatty materialis a chocolate-flavored material.
 7. A product according to claim 4wherein the frozen confectionery article is an ice cream and the fattymaterial is a chocolate-flavored material.
 8. A confectionerycomposition comprising a frozen ice confectionery article, a fattymaterial coating positioned on the ice confectionery article andparticulate flakes, wherein the flakes consist essentially of cerealingredients and wherein the flakes are dry and susceptible to absorbingmoisture, positioned on the fatty material coating.
 9. A compositionaccording to claim 8 wherein the fatty material coating is a firstcoating and further comprising a further coating of a fatty materialpositioned so that the flakes are positioned between the first andfurther coatings.
 10. A composition according to claim 8 or 9 whereinthe flakes comprise rice.
 11. A composition according to claim 10wherein the flakes are toasted flakes.
 12. A composition according toclaim 8 or 9 wherein the ice confectionery article is an ice creamarticle and the fatty material is a chocolate-flavored material.
 13. Acomposition according to claim 10 wherein the ice confectionery articleis an ice cream article and the fatty material is a chocolate-flavoredmaterial.
 14. A composition according to claim 11 wherein the iceconfectionery article is an ice cream article and the fatty material isa chocolate-flavored material.
 15. A composition according to claim 9wherein the article has six sides and comprises 3 sides coated with thefirst fatty material coating and the flakes and 5 sides coated with thefurther fatty material coating.
 16. A product according to claim 1 or 2wherein the flakes have a size dimension of from 2 mm to 8 mm.
 17. Aproduct according to claim 3 wherein the flakes have a size dimension offrom 2 mm to 8 mm.
 18. A composition according to claim 8 or 9 whereinthe flakes have a size dimension of from 2 mm to 8 mm.
 19. A compositionaccording to claim 10 wherein the flakes have a size dimension of from 2mm to 8 mm.